For the busy person who wants to stay connected to God throughout the week!

Archive for September, 2012

Apartment living can have its challenges. Above me a family of giants lives and their footsteps keep me on my toes worrying that the ceiling might crack. Across the hall lives a man who cannot quite get the hang of the garbage pick up. And below me is a dog who finds every movement a reason to bark. Sigh…it can be challenging at times.

But sometimes there is an unexpected perk because just across the path in a different building there is a person who plays the most beautiful music I have ever heard. The sounds that waft up toward my window and my balcony are almost hypnotizing. And it comes at the most unusual times. Once it woke me up with its gentle call.

It’s the music of a summer breeze or a soft kiss. It’s the music of serenity and joy. It’s the music of heaven and earth mingled as one. It’s beautiful music.

And when that music begins to fill my ears with it’s beauty I experience a Sabbath moment. It makes me stop, listen and appreciate the beauty around me. It makes me grateful to be alive to hear such a feast for my ears. It makes me transcend the tasks on my to do list and stop, breathe and enter into a prayerful state.

What are the things in your life that create a transcendent state of mind? What takes you out of your routine, right on the spot, and gives you a glimpse of beauty, a glimpse of God?

I’m having 3 visitors this week. The first visitors to my new ‘place’ since I moved to Georgia. And I’ve been busy getting ready. You know what I mean…cleaning, changing sheets, stocking the refrigerator, buying flowers and just generally creating a welcoming environment.

Since this is a new venue for my guests I’ve also been busy planning an itinerary seeking out fun places to visit or show off.

As I was sprucing up I began to think about how much preparation I put into my time with God. Do I make the environment welcoming? Do I make a special itinerary? Do I get excited about the possibilities of being in God’s presence? How do I prepare my heart and mind? Do I fuss even though I am busy like do for my guests?

What about you? How do you prepare for your time with God? I’ve heard many horror stories about how hard it is to get a family up and out of the house to church and how frazzled most moms and dads are when they arrive for worship. Is the same true for your Sabbath Moments?

What if you set up a special place in your home where you can be prepared and present to be with God? If you aren’t able to be home when you enter into these moments, then make sure you prepare your spirit. Take some deep breaths, clear out the noise in your head and turn off your phone.

God is a special guest as well as an all present Spirit. Be ready to welcome God with the joy of a welcomed and loved guest.

“But when the King came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. Friend, he asked how did you get in here without wedding clothes?” Matthew 22.11-12

I know this is a new format. It is a move to the world of internet blogging. Before today the posts you got were from an email provider that sent out “blasts” to those who had given me their email. Now, these Sabbath Moments will have a wider reach – I hope!

So here we go…

If you have spent any time with a 4 year old, you know they have a lot of energy to burn. And if you have spent any time with a 4 year old, you know they can crash and burn quickly when that energy runs out. Both of these situations can be exhausting for those of us who care for them.

However, this week I found a place in between the hyperactivity and the tears of exhaustion. And in finding this I learned a great lesson. It is a Sabbath Moment lesson.

Arianna, my 4 year old granddaughter, is in a pre-K program that runs from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm so by the time we get home it’s close to 2 pm. At that point in the day, she is a combination of pent up energy and wind down energy.

Her favorite things to do when she gets out of the car is to swing. The other day while we swinging I said I was thirsty. She said that she was too.

I suggested that we get a drink, bring out the ipad with some of her favorite music on it and sit on the patio and listen to music. Of course, I also braced myself for all the reasons she would offer as to why this would not be very much fun for this rambunctious one.

Surprise! She stopped swinging, looked at me and said, “Nana, that is a great idea. You are the best grandma ever.” Whoa…did I hear that right? She wanted to sit quietly and listen to music. Yes, I did and she did.

We got our drinks, set up the ipad and settled into the chairs. It was amazing to watch her put her feet up, quietly sitting and singing along while sipping her drink. It was a lesson in pure relaxation and a testimony to how a 4 year old can listen to her body.

Isn’t that what God intended with the fourth commandment? “On the seventh day you shall rest and do no work”. It’s like God is saying to us “Sit down, put on the music that lifts your spirit and drink deeply of living water.”

Why not try that this week? If you are used to taking a ‘coffee break’, then settle into a quiet place, bring some music with you and just be in God’s presence. Get away from the noise, the hustle and bustle of the office or your home and just sit, sip, soak up the peace of God…if only for a few minutes. If you are not used to taking a ‘coffee break’, then start! It is good for the soul. You can even tell your boss (or yourself) that is an order you have to follow for your health and well being.

Enjoy and let God bathe you in the joy of rest.

Happy Sabbath

Nancy

“Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11.28

Hello Sabbath Seekers,
This blog is written with the busy person in mind. The person who has wonderful intentions of building time with God into their day, who wants to honor the 4th commandment to keep the Sabbath and who would love for there to be 25 hours in a day and 8 days in a week in order to do so.

Alas, you know who you are and I am one of you!

Several years ago following a workshop I did on Keeping Sabbath, one of the participants asked if I would consider sending out reminders to the participants who wanted to practice what they had learned but who often just got caught up in the day to day busy-ness and forgot.

Hence, began a weekly email blast on how to incorporate Sabbath Moments into each day. These were simple suggestions and often came out of my own attempts to be in touch with God and honor the original intention of giving Sabbath to us as a gift of God.

Now, I’ve been encourage to turn it into a weekly blog. And so I now enter the world of blogging and hope you find these Sabbath Moments refreshing and renewing.